Lost and found
by IndigoQueen
Summary: What happens when our favourite heroes and villains find more than they were looking for in Neverland.. Snowing and Eventual CaptainSwan and GoldenQueen I suck at summaries, please read and review xox
1. Chapter 1

**Lost and Found**  
Chapter 1

She flew high above the seas as she had thousands of times before over the years she had been in Neverland, it was something Peter taught her long ago, she circled the island and looked down from the clouds searching far and wide for the ship she knew wouldn't be too hard to find, after all it would be the only one on the sea.  
Her search lasted but an hour before her eyes found the good old Jolly Roger, excitement would be a rather large understatement, she couldn't remember ever being happier then she was when she looked closer that her joy turned to that of a bitter rage.

There on the decks her mother stood, the woman she had thought of day and night for decades on end waiting for the day they would finally be reunited and she was being threatened by that arrogant Shepard turned Prince that thinks himself some great and noble hero, some hero she thought, threatening a woman, and not for the first time, she had seen a similar scene play out in that little town of Storybrooke once the curse had been broken. He had gone to take her son from her, though then she had given him up willingly, hadn't risen to the bait at all, she let the bastard treat her like some common criminal and by the looks of it this time wouldn't be much difference, she was trying so hard to please that little brat that she was allowing herself to be bullied by Charmings, it was disgusting and she could not allow it to go on another second.

She flew down with lightening speed into the space between them disarming the fool and standing defensively in front of her mother, holding the blade up to his throat "Come on big brother take a step" she mocked pressing the point of the blade into his flesh slightly as a warning "I dare you" she added with a curl of her lips.  
He said nothing in response, no one did, they all stood still just staring at the new arrival in shocked into silence, Snow and Charming wore the same paled expression as if they'd seen a ghost, Gold however kept his usual knowing smirk whilst Emma simply stood mouth agape in confusion.

Regina was the first to recover, recognising the voice and the golden brown locks she had missed for over 30 years "Elizabeth ?" She asked her voice catching as her eyes filled with tears, it had been too long since she had used that name.  
The girl turned, smiling brightly as her dark green eyes also glistening with unshed tears, she dropped the sword at her feet and threw herself into Regina's arms "oh how I have missed you mother" she chuckled as tears began to fall, it took all the strength she had for Regina to stop herself from breaking down right there in front of their little audience all of whom at one stage or another had been her greatest enemies.

The Queen held on so tightly at one stage she feared she might crush the young girl, but Elizabeth didn't complain, actually she seemed to be enjoying the closeness she had been deprived of for so long.  
Rumplestiltskin watched on with a small, approving smile, though he would never admit it he was happy for them, he had always hoped they would be reunited eventually.

Emma was the next to regain the use of her voice "uh would someone mind filling me in on the flying amazon girl that just jumped aboard? And why your all so surprised to see her, and since when does Regina have another kid?"  
Everyone opens their mouths in order to explain but Elizabeth beat them to it.

"Miss Swan" she said turning to face her in true Regina Mills fashion "I know this turn of events is probably near impossible for someone of your low level intelligence to comprehend so, I'll put you out of your misery" she continued, her tone sweet despite her words though a hint of anger could still be detected, she didn't like this 'saviour' and she wasn't about to pretend otherwise "I am the daughter of Leoplod and Ava, younger sister of the fair Snow White" she mocked waving her hand towards Snow in a way not totally dissimilar to Rumplestiltskins trademark flair "Regina however is my mother, she has been so far as long as I can remember and will remain so no matter what anyone may say" shooting another pointed glare towards her sister, who spoke up for the first time since her arrival "We thought you were dead" she gasped, her hand covering her mouth as she began to get emotional "how?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes but it was Gold who spoke up next

He stepped forward, closer to the rest of them, leaning heavily on his cane "I believe that would be my doing dearie, I sent her to find my son, I couldn't allow anyone to know the reason for her absence so I didn't allow her to say goodbye"  
Before he could even finish explaining a fist connection with his face so hard his jaw almost broke, he didn't retaliate, he knew he deserved it, although he was surprised by the hidden strength held by the former mayor "YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS DEAD! YOU SAID THAT SHE WAS KILLED IN BATTLE! SHOT DOWN FROM HER HORSE!" Regina screamed, her face red with rage "YOU TOLD US REGINA HAD HER KILLED BECAUSE SHE DECIDED TO COME BACK TO HER REAL FAMILY"

Elizabeth found that genuinely hilarious "and you actually believed that dear sister? That I would ever choose you over her? My 'real' family huh? She is my only real family, you're the snobby bitch who ignored me my whole life so if you expect me to have any sort of loyalty towards you? Then you are more naive then I gave you credit for"  
Regina looked ready to kill at ever being believed capable of harming the girl she had called her daughter since she was only 2 years old.  
Snow was heart broken at the young girls words, Charming and Emma just watched in awe of the scene taking place before them, as was Rumple, simply rubbing his jaw and waiting for the next question to be thrown his way

And that was when a slightly hungover pirate decided to make his way to the deck and see what all this noise was about, what he found nearly mad his eyes pop out of his skull, it was her. A girl like no other he had ever met before, in any world. A girl he was quite fond of, but a girl he had not expected to ever see again, especially not standing next to the Queen, the Saviour, her rather annoying parents and an injured looking crocodile "Tiger Lilly?" He asked as if not sure if this were a dream.  
She chuckled a his confusion before running over and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug "I have missed you Captain" she whispered flirtatiously

Rumple merely chuckled under his breath at the name she had chosen for herself.  
She gave him a knowing smirk "I thought you'd appreciate that, old friend"

The majority of the ships occupants were becoming more and more confused by the second, now was friends with Gold?! How could she possibly be consider the man who exiled her to this place a friend?! She made no effort to explain herself, all would be revealed soon enough, first she would have some fun.

She had been quite amused by the look on the blondes face when she had greeted her one handed friend, she decided to have a little fun with the older woman "Oh Captain have you replaced me so soon? Have you forgotten me so easily.." She said biting down on his ear and letting her hands roam over his chest.  
"Forget you? Quite impossible love" he replied, his voice catching slightly, distracted by the attention she was showing him. He had always fancied her despite her young age, though she had never really given him the time of day, he wondered briefly what had gotten into her but then realised he didn't really care "Are you sure my darling?" She asked, her mouth hovering just above his skin so he could feel her hot breath, the others had all gone the same shade of green from watching the encounter, but Hook hadn't noticed, he simply nodded his head and tried to will himself to deny the temptation of kissing her soft pink lips, and then..

She stepped back "then why is your little blonde friend looking at me like she's trying to burn a hole through my head every time I touch you?" She teased and all heads whipped around to the direction of the Sheriff who had turned a deep crimson red

Elizabeth laughed loudly and Regina & Gold both smirked at Emma's embarrassment "Well, as much fun as all that was that's not why I came" she said turning to her mother and smiling widely "I've found my little brother"


	2. Chapter 2

**Lost and Found**  
Chapter 2

"You've seen Henry?!" Emma spoke first, forgetting all previous conversation, all she cared about was finding her son that much was clear through the urgency and determination she interjected into her few words. "No, but I know where Pan is keeping him" she answered shortly before turning back to her mother  
"Where?" She pushed on, Elizabeth only sighed "I will show you when we get to the island"  
"How do I know you can be trusted?" Both Regina and Elizabeth rose an eyebrow at this

The young girl let out a light chuckle and slowly made her way over to Emma, swaying her hips with each step, coming to a halt mere inches from the blondes face "trust this Miss Swan, I am loyal to my mother. Now you happen to want the same thing and so as long as your interests align I will do all I can to help save my brother." The sheriff looked her up and down suspiciously for a moment before nodding in acceptance "whatever helps me get my son back"

"He's not your son" she growled venomously, she had watched this 'saviour' take Henry, as if she had some right to him after she abandoned him. She gave him away and then came back after ten long years to claim him and change she had the nerve to stand there and say she 'wasn't sure it was best' to let her spend time with the child she raised. Henry was her son. Just as she was her daughter.  
"Emma is his mother" she heard her sister comment, rushing forward in defence of the precious daughter she shoved in a wardrobe.

"Shut up pale face, no body asked you" she retorted and both sisters glared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Hook, not one for silence coughed awkwardly in an attempt to break the tension

"Emma gave birth to him"

"My mother raised him"

"She is not your mother"

"Yes she is!"

"Queen Eva is your mother"

Giving birth to a child doesn't make you their mother"

"Then what does"

"Being there"

"If that's true what does that make Emma?!"

"An orphan."

Silence.

Everyone looked towards the former bounty hunter who's eyes were filled with pain. It was the truth Emma hand struggled with since she found out about her parents...the truth was deep down she was still an orphan. She would always just be that sad little girl that used to cry herself to sleep wondering why they gave her up. Knowing the answer hadn't changed that. Elizabeth sighed heavily but relented, choosing to go back and stand by Regina, the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

"I see you haven't lost your subtle touch" Regina whispered as she smirked over her shoulder at the teen, "sorry" she mouthed awkwardly as she watched as she watched Emma go bellow deck, snow following shortly after. She never did have much in the ways of people skills. Some time passes and eventually the Shepard follows his wife and daughter below deck, the Captain steers towards the island and the Dark One distracts himself with thoughts of self sacrifice and so all that was left on deck was mother and daughter

"So you've been here the whole time" Regina said quietly as she looked out towards the ocean. "Since the day I left" she replied nervously.  
"How did you know about Henry?"

"I've been watching over you" she smiled softly as she pulled out a decent sized mirror from a carry bag she'd had slung over her shoulder. "A looking glass" Regina murmured "...will this show me Henry?"  
Tiger Lilly shook her head sadly "it only shows you"

The girl could no longer hold in her emotions at the disappointed sigh she received from her mother "why is it you're so desperate to see him?! It's only been a few days, you went without me for decades! Why do you love him so much when all he does is hurt you...I've seen you cry over him, I would never hurt you the way he does"

"But you have" Elizabeth's heart broke for she knew exactly what she meant.  
"I -I wanted to say goodbye, I didn't want to leave...especially like that but I owed him a favour...telling you wasn't in his plan" she said tearfully  
"What could he have possibly done to warrant sending you to this hell hole for over 30 years without so much as a goodbye?!" She snapped irritably, she didn't mean to upset the girl, this was all just a little overwhelming, yesterday she thought her daughter was dead. Now it turns out she was alive and living in Neverland, a place her mother used to warn her about for three decades, and it was all Rumples doing of course. She thought Elizabeth knew better then to make deals with the devil, she thought she had taught her better.

"He helped me save you" she replied, her voice small sounding more like the child she had been when Rumple first came to her

X

She was seven years old for as long as she could remember, every night she looked out of her bedroom window, up to the skies, to the heavens...to whoever might be listening, she called for somebody, anybody to help her save her mother...she didn't know why but there was always this sadness in her eyes, even when she tried to be happy it was there, it got worse at bedtime, when she tucked her in she would smile but when she had to go back to her own room she could see the fear in her mothers eyes...see the emptiness every morning. She may have been to young to understand the reason but she was old enough to know that her young mother was in pain. She hated the thought that someone as beautiful and hind as her mother would have to suffer like that. And so every night she sat at her window for hours every night, praying for someone to hear her call.  
And this one faithful night someone did, though not exactly who she was expecting..  
"You're not a Fairy Godmother" she said as she looked curiously over his scaly skin.

"You're quite right dearie" he replied with an impish giggle "but no need to fear"  
"I'm not afraid" she looked up at him, her eyes filled with total fascination  
"No...you're not are you dearie" he smiled fondly, she truly was special, he knew she would do great things one day..  
In fact she would do something great that very night.

She shook her head and just stared at him, waiting for him to say something until she realised he was waiting also.  
"...So, are you going to save my mother?" She broke the silence hopefully  
"No dearie. You are" he grinned waving his hands with his unique trademark flare "and I'm going to show you how"  
She was paying close attention now, she would do anything to see her mother smile, really smile that is.

His expression softened as he saw the love and determination in her eyes "you really do care for her, don't you child?" Beth merely nodded in response, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and the Dark One let out a heavy sigh "as do I" he confessed quietly before giving her his instructions

"Get into your bed and lay there, when I go I want you to scream, scream as loud as you can and your mother will come running, when she does tell her you had a nightmare and you want her to sleep beside you tonight, understand?"

She followed his command to the letter, getting under the covers and readying herself she nodded.  
"You must do this every night" he said as he looked at her  
"Thank you" she replied respectfully, showing her breeding "if this works I shall forever be in your debt"

"...don't worry dearie, one day I'll come to collect" he said allowing himself a small smirk at the girls naivety, but if Rumplestiltskin were to be honest, he had no desire to collect this debt, if he were honest with himself she was the one doing him the favour...he hated what was being done to the Queen and other than killing her pig of a husband this was the only way he could think to stop it.  
But neither of these things change the fact that in the grand scheme of things, in order for his plans to work he had no choice "I only hope when the day comes you're ready to pay the price" he continued genuinely and almost sadly before clouding out

Elizabeth supposed she should have been worried, but really she would do anything to see happiness in her mothers eyes and so if this worked she didn't care what the price would be, she would be more than willing to pay it when the time came.

She sat up in her bed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before screaming as loud as her lungs would allow, she screamed as long as she could and sure enough, within a matter of moments she heard her mothers footsteps running down the hall..

X

Regina listened to her tell the story in utter shock "So..,you never had nightmares?" She asked, still looking slightly confused.  
"I'd never had a nightmare before I came to Neverland"

"So all those nights were just..." She felt stupid for never having figured it out, Elizabeth had always been a child that was never afraid of anything, her being so terrified of a nightmare she refused to talk about every night for four years didn't seem all that believable, but you believe what you want to believe I suppose, she thought to herself. Beth's nightmares gave her an excuse to get away from her own, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at the girl for lying, or for the deal she made...she was trying to make her happy, she was still trying to make her happy. She could see it in her eyes, the only thing she was afraid of, even after all these years was disappointing her mother. Regina grabbed her young daughter and pulled her into a tight hug which Tiger Lilly immediately returned. They stood there silently in each other's arms for a few moments, a million thoughts running through each of their heads, one that kept coming back to Regina though was; why would Rumplestiltskin ever want to help her put an end to her suffering..


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hello my darlings! Hope you've liked the story so far, I'm not sure how far ill be continuing it yet. All depends on feedback so please review!_**

**Lost and Found**

Chapter 3

Meanwhile, below deck Snow White found her daughter sitting on her bunk staring at slender fingers.

"Oh Emma.." Snow sighed, taking a seat next to the blonde who was almost the same age as her, the thought of how much she missed stealing her breath for a moment

"I'm so sorry about Beth, she's always been like-"

"It's okay." Emma said, cutting her off

"really, I mean...I have parents now right?" She chuckled weakly

"I'm not...I'm not.."

And this time it was Snows turn to interrupt "No, your not. You have us now" she said taking her daughters hand "and were not going anywhere. Were a family"

"I know" Emma replied, giving her mother a tight smile. She didn't say anything more because this wasn't her friend, this wasn't Mary Margret the first person shed grown attached to since Neal, if it was she'd be able to tell her how much the little warrior princess' comment had stung, how it had brought up all the old feelings of abandonment that she thought she had put behind her. But she couldn't say any of those things because this wasn't the woman that she had grown to see as her family, this was Snow White the bad ass princess that fought wars against Evil Queens for the greater good and put her in a wardrobe and sent her away so she could do the same. This was the woman that claimed to be her family and wanted to act like the last 28 years of her life was just water under the bridge. This was her mother...and how could she possibly tell her that being here now just wasn't enough..

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs as Charming joined them and the three shared a small smile before David walked over and placed a kiss atop his daughters head, as if he had done so every day of her life...but he hadn't. He hadn't been there to do so, and that wasn't something she could see herself just getting over

X

After their talk Tiger Lilly had skipped over to the wheel to toy with her Captain and after watching them in their playful banter for a few minutes Regina decided she also had someone she needed to talk to.

Her former mentor stood leaning over the mast, looking out over the sea...he looked so strong in his black leather attire. Not at all like the cowardly imp of old.  
For a few moments she just watched him, trying to find her words..what was she to say to him? I know you helped a little girl keep her father out of my bed? No, I couldn't ask that. I was probably fooling myself in believing it meant anything at all, why would Rumplestiltskin give a damn about what happened to me? He wouldn't. It was just a means to an end I told myself, a deal he made so put Elizabeth in his debt so he could us her when the time came. It had nothing to do with her she thought as she turned around, shaking her head. Stupid.

"Change your mind your Majesty?" He smirked, his eyes on the horizon line

She sighed heavily, she should've known she wouldn't go undetected, not by him.

"I'm sorry?" She said plainly, trying to act as though she hadn't been trying to find a way to talk to him for the last ten minutes

Gold looked slightly amused by the attempt "I saw you trying to work up the nerve to ask me a question dearie" he turned, looking back at her before continuing  
"ask...I won't bite" he smirked

"Why did you do it?" She finally said, trying to act nonchalant, trying to act as if she wasn't hoping for a certain type answer.

"You're going to have to be a tad more specific, dearie"

"You know what I'm talking about Rumple" she said shifting her gaze to water, not wanting to look at him, not wanting to remember the many nights he hadn't saved her from

He gave her a small, sad smile and walked over to her, only stopping when he was standing directly in front of her. He hesitated for a second before putting his hand behind her head and pulling her a fraction closer as he placed a kiss on her forehead. For anyone else the action would seem small, for them it was monumental. As was the meaning behind it. All the silent apologies and unspoken care...it had tears prickling behind the Queens eyes.

They stayed that way for a short while before the Dark One closed his eyes, breathing in the intoxicating smell of her hair one last time before stepping back and walking away..

X

Emma eventually steps out on the deck to find Hook and Tiger Lilly chatting it up and laughing like they'd known each other a lifetime, they probably had, she realises. But why should she care right? So what if the drunken pirate wanted to waste all his time trying to score with a perpetual teenager that is obviously just toying with him for sport. Ugh it made her sick the way she was running her fingers up and down his arm, whispering in his ear...she couldn't be less subtle if she was rubbing up against him. Not that she cared. It's not as if her and Hook were together, though she was sure that she felt something between them...but as she watched the way he looked at Regina's little minion she suddenly wasn't so sure.

Elizabeth could feel the saviour watching them and so leaned in close in the most suggestive way possible, whispering in Killians ear "you best go see to your little blonde friend Captain, before the green eyed monster overcomes her and she throws me off this fine vessel of yours" she smirked, leaning back slowly and placing a kiss upon his cheek for good measure.

Hook chuckled under his breath and shook his head at his young friend "you really are one of a kind Milady" Tiger Lilly shared in his amusement and gave a slight curtsy before watching her one handed pirate walk off into the sunset to meet his golden haired companion

"Hello love" he said, leaning against the rail as he came to stand next to her

"Shouldn't you be over there, flirting with your little girlfriend" she replied in what was as close to a neutral tone as she could manage, keeping her eyes trained on the sea

"Who, Tiger Lilly?" He scoffed but she didn't dignify him with an answer. He knew who.

"Just an old friend love, never anything more I assure you"

"You look at all your old friends like that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow

He chuckled softly "perhaps there was once an...attraction there. But things have changed. Now I have eyes for only one" he vowed, sliding further over into her personal space.  
Emma felt a feeling of ..relief wash over her, she turned to find him looking into her eyes and for a moment she thought she might loose herself in his

No, she thought jumping back a bit and shaking herself off

"We're not doing this"

"Swan, I know you feel-"

"What I feel" she cut him off swiftly before he could force her admission "is a desperate need to find my son. And that..is all I have room for right now"

"..and after we find the boy?"

She paused for a second. She hadn't thought that far ahead yet, she wasn't ready to think about what she wanted her future to be and she sure as he'll wasn't ready to think about whether or not that future had him in it.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" she said shortly, walking away before she fell for anymore of his charms

X

Without Hook to play with and with no sign of her mother Elizabeth was forced to find some way of entertaining herself and terrorising the fair Snow White seemed as good an option as any.

She skipped over to the raven haired woman of whom was currently emptying the content of her stomach over the ships railing as the ever charming Shepard rubbed circles into her back.

"Still can't handle the sea air, sister dear?"

"It's more the constant rocking that makes me a little que-" her shaky explanation cut short by her own retching

Her younger sisters lip curled in disgust "how very regal.."

"Shut up" the older woman growled

"And well mannered too" she smiled snidely

Any further banter was cut short by Snows panicked cry as she laid eyes on a scaly tail rising to the waters surface, followed by another and another again as mermaids emerged from the sea. David readied his sword, they had heard the stories of Neverland and the mermaids surrounding it, and according to legend they were not nearly as gentle hearted as the one his wife had befriended all those years ago

"Relax farm boy" Elizabeth sighed, rolling her eyes at his seemingly endless stupidity "they won't attack you with me on board"

With a short wave of her hand the mermaids gave a nod of respect and dispersed back to the depths of their under water dwellings. All of the ships occupants had gathered around at this stage to see what the commotion was about and they all saw how the young girl commanded these legendary fearless creatures without a word or a batted eyelash and it had them wondering..

Just who was this Tiger Lilly? And what sort of power must she have?

**_TBC..?_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hope you're enjoying the story so far, I'm hoping to continue it further depending on the sort of feedback I get. Please read and review xox**_

**Lost and Found**

Chapter 4

Regina hadn't stopped thinking about her earlier encounter with her former mentor all day, it stuck in her mind like glue as she switched from thoughts of Henry to memories of a time where she and Mr Golds relationship was filled with much more then just hate.

She found him sitting on his bunk, seemingly devising a plan. She stood in the door for a few moments, waiting for him to acknowledge here presence, when he didn't she broke the silence herself "Gold.." She said, sounding more like the young girl that first called upon him then she had in years

"Rumple...I need to know..you, you save me from Leopold without me even realising then you use me like a little pawn in your game-"

"Not just a pawn dearie. You were my Queen, my most valuable piece" he interrupted, only confusing her further

"But what does that mean?! You call me your most valuable peace, you save me from my husband only to destroy me yourself and then your kiss this morning, as if you care I...Rumple what does it mean? ..what do I mean...to you"

"It doesn't really matter now, does it dearie?...I won't be around much longer" he smiled sadly "and even if it wasn't...Belle is my love..now I know that's hard for you-"

"Hard for me ?" she scoffed, rage rising within her at his blatant arrogance. He had been sweet, kind almost and for a second she let herself forget why she had started to hate him so much and now, she wanted to hurt him for it.

" What you think you're special?! That I'm in love with you, that you being with her kills me? What? because I've shared my bed with you before?! Trust me, you're not the only one that has. You're not even the only one on this ship" she yells in disgust, quite a bit louder then intended because it seems the whole ship has heard, but for the moment she didn't care. It was worth it to se the look of pain etched on his face. He was speechless. She allowed a satisfied sneer to cross her lips before she turned and sauntered out, avoiding the gaping expression as she entered the opposite cabin, slamming the door behind her.

Once they got over the shock of the Queen having bedded the Dark One they shifted their focus to her other revelation. Looking around at all the present company until they came across a smirking pirate.

Emma looked at him, eyes filled with disgust and disbelief and something that seemed a lot like betrayal before rolling her eyes and walking away from the group. The Charmings merely shook their heads as Elizabeth giggled hysterically, the situation being just to much for the teenager to keep a straight face.

X

"Well I just hate it when Mommy and Daddy fight" Elizabeth pouted playfully as she walked into Rumple's room

"I'm not your father, dearie" he said tiredly

"Whatever you say Poppa Bear" she chuckled, sitting down across from him "So, do I even want to know what just happened"

"Not at all princess, not at all" he smiled sadly

She nodded in acknowledgement before sighing heavily and lowering her eyes "you aren't planning on coming back from the island are you old friend?"

He laughed softly and looked up at her with pride twinkling in his eyes "you always were my most observant student"

"Well, knowing who my predecessors were that's a rather large compliment I must say" she grinned from ear to ear

He returned her smile, he had missed her mischievous little face..he had always thought of her as somewhat of a daughter

"So you're going to die...for him?" She asked, suddenly solemn. She was asking about him but he caught her real meaning

"She loves you, just the same as she loves him dearie, and if she had known you were alive she would've torn every known world apart looking for you with just as much force as she is now, maybe more so." She smiled slightly as a tear left her eye, grateful that he had laid her fears to rest.

"And what about you? Would you be willing to die for me...the way you are for him?" She asked nervously

Rumplestiltskin chuckled fondly and cupped her cheek "you can be sure little one that in the contest for my affections...the boy has nothing on you" he promised leaning over and kissing her temple lightly "but I owe it to my son to save his boy, and that's what I plan to do"

"Ahh and the plot thickens" she chuckled "So you found him then? Where is he?"

He paused for a moment, hanging his head in sadness

"Dead, dearie.."

"Oh..I'm..Rumple I'm so sorry"

"What's done is done pet, nothing I can do to change that now..but there is something I can do to at least try to make amends with the son I've lost. And I'm afraid the time for me to do that has come" he says standing

"Wait your going now? Were still a day away from the island"

"Why wait another day when I can be there in an instant?...I need to do this on my terms Beth, and I can't have anyone getting in the way of that"

She knew exactly who he meant and that's what brought her to her next question

"Are you even going to say goodbye?"

"You know as well as I dearie, she won't let me go without her"

She nodded, he was right of course but she was only trying to delay him at this point, for she knew it would be the last she ever saw of him

"So I guess that it's time to say goodbye once again, old friend" she smiled sadly, trying to will her lip not to quiver

He pulled her into a firm embrace and placed a kiss upon her hair "I will miss you dearie" he whispered sincerely "take care of your mother little one...if this doesn't go to plan she's going to need you more than ever"

"I will. Always and forever" she vowed with the same determination in her eyes as she had when she first called upon him to bring back her mothers smile and he knew his Queen was in good hands

And with the peace that knowledge gave him he enveloped himself in a cloud of dark smoke. And only then did his final student allow her tears to fall

X

Rumple wasn't on the island long when he finds himself a little treat. The woman who murdered his boy crawling along the earth like the worm she is. He asks her where Henry is, appreciating the unmasked terror in her eyes at his presence. She tries to speak but is unable

"Here, let me help with that" he says with a simple trick that'll help her speak and give him the information he needs. She calms a bit, probably thinking he doesn't mean to harm her. Silly little twit.

She tells him that Henry had escaped into the forest. She should have ceased talking then really but unfortunately amateurs never quite know when to shut up. The dark woman apologises to him for what happened to his son, asked him if he could forgive her. Her pathetic form splayed out on the forest floor begging for forgiveness in a last hope effort to save her own skin

"No" was his answer of course as he ripped her heart from her chest, squeezing it nice and slow enjoying the feeling choking the life from her. He almost pitied her, for being too much of a fool to see that she was already dead the moment he laid eyes on her. If she was the least bit intelligent she could've kept her dignity intact instead of spending her final moments begging like a coward.

X

They reach the island just before nightfall, much earlier than expected. The Queen was seething with rage that Rumplestiltskin had abandoned them and gone ahead of the group without so much as a word, though her daughter knew she was probably more angry at herself for not seeing it coming. The oh so miraculous saviour was doing much the same, brooding in the corner still giving everyone the silent treatment for what she heard earlier on the ship. Elizabeth found she was rather enjoying the absence of the annoying blondes voice, though she knew if they were going to succeed on this mission she would need all of them focused and working together as a team.

She stopped in front of them all, blocking them from stepping any further "okay now I know that none of you are all that fond of each other-"

"Actually I rather-" Hook interrupted but was quickly cut down

"Shut up." She said simply "now I know that you aren't the best of friends and I know I personally have no interest in being friends with everyone here" she said looking directly at the Charmings "bit none of that matters now, were here for one reason and one reason only and if we are to be successful in getting Henry back we are all going to have to work as a team, doing what were best at. We're going to need all of your skills here so there is no room for any self righteousness behaviour. We all need to do everything we can to survive and to bring back my brother in one piece whether certain people approve of it or not, this is a place where the lines between right and wrong are blurred and sometimes we gotta do some not so good things for greater good to prevail. Understood?"

She looked around the circle, making eye contact with each individual, the determination to do anything it took to find the boy clear in both the eyes of her mother and that of the saviour, even Hooks had the same level of passion. It was only when she turned to David and Snow that she found reluctance, reluctance to do anything that wasn't done their way, but with a sharp nod from the blonde they too nodded in agreement.

"So what now? We wait for the Indians to come help us out and attack Pans base to get Henry back" Emma asked

Tiger Lilly shook her head "Pans base moves, only the lost ones can find it." She saw The older woman start to protest so she continued "Don't worry, dear. Pan already knows were here, it won't be long before he comes to us.."

"What about reinforcements? Are your people going to meet us here or?"

"There are none, love. They're all gone. Slaughtered by Pan years ago...she's the only one left"

"Why didn't he kill you too?" The Sheriff asked, five curious pairs of eyes now resting on the young brunette

"Because he can't.."

**_TBC..?_**


End file.
